Historically the packaging and transport of bulk items has been accomplished through the use of octagonally shaped bulk containers. Such bulk items include meats, vegetables, fruits, granular materials, animal parts, and liquids, which are all somewhat flowable to one extent or another. This flowability presents special problems to the shipping and storage industries because movement of the material during shipping or storage can make the container unstable and prone to rupture.
One solution to reinforcing bulk material containers is to apply horizontal straps around the container to provide lateral girth support. An example of such a container is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,772,108. Although that container is effective for most applications, it can still be improved.
Another technique for reinforcing the outer wall of a bulk material container is to place a sleeve made of a woven material along the outer surface of the container for providing lateral girth support to the container. An example of this type of container is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,431,435 and 6,932,266. Although this type of container is also effective, it is not without its drawbacks.